...Grandma feeding the birds bits of bread tucked into her shirt, a kitchen window mango, and Grandpa....being Grandpa.

How was your weekend, friends? Anything exciting happen?

Mine is just beginning, and today is day one of three to relax, clean, work in the yard, and warm up that hammock.

Last week Leigh from Marvelous Kiddo announced our round one assignments for the styleathon. How becoming a Mother has affected our style.I was just going to scrap the 350 word requirement and post a picture of me in sweat pants with no make up and dried breast milk in my hair, but I figured that wasn't exactly what they were looking for :) The truth is, I don't feel nearly as fancy as I used to, and time spent getting ready doesn't feel quite the same since E came around. In the mornings, I love to pick out her outfits, fix her hair, and make her laugh. Those sweet moments take up a lot of the time I used to spend getting myself ready - but there are still little bits of me lost somewhere in here. Last week I wrote my 350 words about how becoming a Mother has changed my style, so look for that post later on this week.

I feel so grateful and newly inspired to be part of this styleathon. I am taken back to the creative writing class I took 4 times in high school when I was first learning how much I loved to piece together words and sentences to form something powerful. Writing from my heart has always been something I come back to, beginning with the days of my childhood where I wrote my very first book....about puppies and kittens :) My Mom still has it, almost 25 years later. To this day I still dream of writing my book, but for now, this space is my absolute outlet of that dream. I know the styleathon is a competition, but I am not in the least bit competitive by nature and I am just excited to be along for this ride with the handful of other talented Mama's involved - Elizabeth,Joanna,Danielle,Natalie,James,Jen,Sharmadean, and Melisa.

Leigh is also hosting a giveaway (ending tonight) for a Sakura Bloom Sling and $250 Lilla P gift card.

I hope you all enjoy your sleepy Sunday, and the start to this (already) hot Summer.

64 comments:

Love your photos especially the toes thru the hammock... As far as the drowning, I bet that rodent may have gotten some poison and was looking for water.. and then died... You have a green thumb! those baby succulents are gorgeous.

Such beautiful photos. I always like seeing the photos of your garden, and I find peace in them. We ate bowls of sun-warm, garden-fresh strawberries yesterday and it felt like summer had truly arrived. In a matter of days the nectarines in the fruit bowl will be ripe, juicy and delicious, and in weeks blackberries will be ready for harvesting and turning into jam. I tell where I am in this world through fresh produce, and it feels like your blog is another of my calendars. A time-marker telling me what season I'm in and what is growing in this world.Also, Elodie is the most content and adorable baby.

Wonderful, wonderful photos. But looking at that dead wet mouse makes me slightly nauseus, haha. This weekend my husband and I have been moving into our new apartment, and I've been coming to your blog to read your posts on bringing the outdoors in for summer, to get some inspiration. It's tricky sometimes to get access to flowers and things in the city without paying an ungodly price for them. But that just means I get to take many evening walks to the park and pack my bag full of plants and stones, I guess :). I am happy to see there are others who have a deep love of nature the way I do.

You do look amazing, even you say you don't feel as fancy as you used to but belive me, I would do anything to look that stylish and good as you do in the hammock picture. All these photos are just beautiful, like always.

Libby- My calendar is produce, as well :) I am just not as content with the hearty veggies in the cool months as I am the light fruits in the Summer. And like you said, what can beat warm berries from the sun? I even love to pluck tomatoes and eat them when it's 100 degrees outside.

Alexandra- I have found some of the most inexpensive, beautiful flowers at chain grocery stores! Maybe you could try there, too. I actually bought all my wedding flowers (even my bouquet) from Sam's Club.

Sini- Thank you sweetie, but I have to laugh, because I'm literally in my PAJAMAS in that hammock photo! A $3 tank top and a skirt I made from a scrap of knit fabric. Fortunately the photo is not that revealing, because both items are completely see-through. We had just come home from an Art Show, and that's why I even had makeup on.

Great choices of pics for this post. As always, they are gorgeous : ) and little E is so adorable. I love that last pic of the two of you guys. I have gotten into photographing hands (especially of the elderly--i love how you can almost see 40 or 50 years of hard work) and I love love love the photo of your grandfather. ; )

this weekend I rode my bike joyfully for the first time since a pretty bad crash rendered me unable to ride a few weeks ago.I dreamed a vivid dream that I was pregnant (!), so maybe one & done is not for me after all. Maybe a sibling for my lovely son is in our future after all.beautiful photos, as always. I especially love the clothesline/clothes pin.

Beautiful pictures as usual. I'm pottering on with my camera and manage (accidently) to get some good pictures now and again. Sometimes I'll take 200 picturesand only get 10 that I'm happy with but it's just so much fun trying. Seeing the picture of the dog it made me wonder how Hunter is coping with a wee baby in the house. He seems such a softie I'm sure he's taking it all in his stride!

Your images are so clear, crisp, vibrant, beautifully composed...just magical! I love them! I need to try to read about what camera you have, lenses you use, and if you edit in PS or Lightroom and all your photography info.

I know you hear this all of the time, but your posts and pictures are truly inspiring. I have to ask you, how do you find time to do all of the things you do and take pictures? I feel so busy with just one summer class and work that I feel like I don't have time to take pictures. Also, do you edit your photos very much? It doesn't look like it and I like that fact that they don't look over edited.

What I love best Aura, is that you can take a picture of any bug, and make it look so darn cute! LOL!! The one with the strawberries, ok, if I saw that I would be disgusted! But, no! Instead, I see it and see it's little face, and the Hello, next to it, and can't help but to smile. LOL! xo

Oh the hammock evenings sound lovely. Have you ever lived somewhere where you didn't have a backyard? Right now we're living in a tiny one bedroom apartment with no yard! We make trips to the park, and I breathe fresh air out at my parents' ranch, but until we save up our pennies to get our own house with a yard, I feel sad that the outside isn't so easily accessible! We do have a front porch of sorts next to our front door, any tips on making it cozy?

Oh, and one more thing--Love Elodie's toes poking through the hammock--one of the first of many feet pictures I am sure. It makes me laugh and remember the commenter who was irritated by all of your feet pictures. Toes are wiggly and happy and they go so many places! I like that you photograph them. :)

Ah summer! You always make me love it, even though my favourite season is the freakishly cold winter I am in now ;) You and your baby are beautiful, and I dream of gardening like you do one day. Mine is all but dead - I don't know what I did wrong. I'll try again though. My dream is to live as much as I can from my own garden, have some chickens, maybe a cow... and PLENTY of wildflowers for picking. I am in love with wildflowers.

our cannas just came into bloom as well except they are an orange color. love them.

also That mouse picture cracks me up! we just had one in our house living under the refrigerator. I wanted jake to catch him and through him into the dirt field behind out house. but when he went to put the bucket over him and smashed his head. poor mousey. I TRIED!

all those cute little persian kids remind me of growing up with my siblings & cousins, running around the backyard shirtless and creating havoc :)

after the last post about the Sakura Bloom Sling, i took a chance and purchased one. I also didnt like the moby, so much fabric. I love the sling. It's so easy and baby Haden took to it right away.I always thought our children looked similiar. I have the boy version. He was born with the same amount of hair and same skin tone. His hair is very messy, but what can you expect from a little boy.

oh those little toes, that mouse (ewww), your new sakura bloom silk sling (gorgeous). I was so happy to see you involved in the styleathon. You share my love of yoga pants and simple skirts...and I bet you love your comfy sense of style even more now that your a mum - it suits what we do.

I love to stop in and see your pictures, but I have to admit it's the ones with your grandparents that I love the most! I miss my grandparents something awful, so it's nice to see the relationship you have with yours : o ) The baby (and the garden) is looking beautiful!

Glorious, Aura. Finding your words and photos here have enlivened my own writing and blogging pursuits, and seeing your beautiful family and home have opened me up to more beauty in my own life. Thank you for many wonderful gifts!

here's my question - i kill plants. i forget to water them or i plant them in the wrong spot, or whatever else i do! i would love to put some pots of flowers on our front porch (which gets full sun, all day, every day).

are there easy plants or flowers i can put into pots that, if i remember to water them, i won't kill? that will survive the summer sun and give me some pretty to look at as i come home from work each day?

Hey Aura! I've been reading your blog quietly for quite some time now. Truely inspirational words you string together. I was thinking about that Ralph Waldo Emerson print you have in the nursery.. could you post the link to where you got it for me?

I read in a post you don't keep barrels for gathering rain water in your garden because of mosquitoes. Tying a mosquito net on top of the barrel solves the problem! Water gets in through the net and mossies stay out! If it rains relatively often where you live!? otherwise don't bother... :) Lots of love,Lena.

this is rather personal (and if it's too personal, i'm sure you won't post it), but what are your thoughts regarding contraceptives? i'm curious because of your natural approach in all other aspects of your life. would love to hear your insight on the matter.

Aura,Sometimes when I'm at work and I find myself very stressed and worn out I stop and visit your blog. Even something as simple as pictures of strawberries help me put things in perspective. I remind myself that my job is not my life and nothing here is important enough to take home with me. Thank you for that :) Thank you for sharing pictures of your garden, your sweet baby girl and your life, it helps... A LOT. PS - I am very jealous of you hammock :)